1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an input assisting device used for an input of a touch panel of a portable information terminal, a multi-functional mobile phone and other devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the portable information terminal, the multi-functional mobile phone and other devices, various figures, symbols and the like are displayed on a relatively large screen. In an interface of such devices, the figures, symbols, and the like are touched by a finger or the like to perform the input. In the above described touch panel, which serves both as a display screen and a touch input device, an input area corresponding to each of the displayed figures and symbols is normally specified to be relatively large to help an operator avoid wrong operation and enable subtle operation. Here, the input area means an area on which the fingers and symbols are displayed to let the devices perform the operation corresponding to each of the displayed figures and symbols when they are touched by the finger or the like. However, the number of figures and symbols displayed on the screen to be selected should be increased in order to achieve various functions. On the other hand, a size of the screen, i.e., a size of the devices, cannot be enlarged too much in order to improve portability. Thus, a size of the input area should be necessarily small. In order to surely perform the input even in such a small input area, an input assisting device can be conventionally used.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an input assisting device attached to a finger. The input assisting devise is comprised of a finger fitting portion formed in a ring shape and a pressing portion formed in a bar shape and fixed to the finger fitting portion. When the finger fitting portion is attached to the finger so that the pressing portion is extended along a dorsal surface of the finger, a tip of the pressing portion is projected approximately 5 mm from a fingertip. Since the input to the touch panel is performed by the projected portion, which is thinner than the finger, wrong operation such as touch of the neighboring input area is reduced.
Patent Document 2 discloses an input assisting device formed in a pen shape. The input assisting device is comprised of a pen body having a tapered tip portion and a transparent, thin and plate-shaped sliding member (slider) provided on the tip portion via a joint. The input is performed when the slider is brought into surface contact with the input area of the touch panel. Since the tip portion is thin and the slider is transparent, visibility of the tip of the pen is secured and the input can be more accurate than other pen-type input assisting devices. In addition, since the joint is bidirectionally rotatable, even when an angle between the tip portion and the slider is changed, the surface contact between a bottom surface of the slider and a top surface of the touch panel is maintained. As another embodiment of the pen-type input assisting device, it is disclosed that the pen body is formed in a cylindrical bag shape capable of covering the finger and the finger is inserted into a portion of the cylindrical bag shape when in use.
[Patent document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H7-104925
[Patent document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-247942
[Patent document 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-141710